Gastric Band is Gone – back home again!

For my latest adventure, I went to hospital for removal of my gastric band. What will I get up to next? Bariatric surgery or any surgery is never pleasant, but my experience in the Chichester Suite at St Richards Hospital was pretty good. I was there for one day only, arriving at 7:30 AM and going home about 12 hours later.

Gastric Band – not for everyone

People have had wonderful success with permanent weight-loss with these devices, but it hasn’t been the Holy Grail of weight loss for me. For the first couple of years, I was very happy with my gastric band. Then I started getting some problems and gaining weight and eventually it was diagnosed that the band had slipped. Since going vegan this year, I’ve realised that eating a plant-based diet and not calorie restricting is a much better way for me to regain health. Because the implant is reversible, it was an easy decision for me to have it removed.

Bariatric Team is great

The bariatric team that looked after me was wonderful. The nursing staff looked after me all day and the surgeon, anaesthetist, theatre staff and everyone was fantastic. You hear terrible things about the NHS and hospitals but I can’t fault the treatment I had. Even the meals were tasty. The first thing I had to eat after a week on a milk diet was Boston Beans and I must find a recipe for this.

Yes, I was indeed singing on the operating table. Singing is wonderful medicine and triggers all sorts of pleasure centres in the brain, “singing is like an infusion of the perfect tranquilizer, the kind that both soothes your nerves and elevates your spirits.” Well, who wouldn’t like some of that? Read more here.

Future looks rosy

The plan now is to get off all medications and eat a normal healthy plant-based diet. This should give me a full recovery from surgery in the short-term and better health than I’ve had for years in the long-term.

Have you had keyhole surgery? Would you consider a gastric band for weight-loss?

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2 thoughts on “Gastric Band is Gone – back home again!”

Hi
Hi,
What was the reason that you had to remove the band?
I had gastic band one year ago and have managed to lose 3stones in one year. I need to lose one more stone to reach my ideal weight, but for some reason its the hardest stone to lose.
I woke up few nights ago in a very bad pain where the band is, a really got worried as lately im having lots of accidity, and sometimes at night i will wake up caughing. I have lost the appetite, becose of the unpleasent feeling once you eat someting, and the fact that i have to chew 20times and wait another 20sec before my next bite is so frustrating and i think thats way i lost the appetite.
Any advise would be really appreciated
Thanks

I lost six stones with the band, but after a couple of years I started to get reflux through the night. It got worse and bad acid through the day. It was treated with lots of drugs and the acid got so bad that I was taking Gaviscon several times daily and having daily prescription medication..

I didn’t want that to continue so after some years, finally got an endoscopy which showed hat the band had slipped. I decided to have it removed rather than repositioned.

The relief from the acid was instant and being able to eat more food means I am now getting more nutrition, which I hadn’t even realised I was lacking.

I’m vegan now and can eat decent portions of delicious healthy food. My hair has become lush and my fingernails are growing. I realise that a lot of niggle little issues were because I was undernourished for years.

The band was great for me in the beginning but long term, finding a better way to eat has been key for my health.